A CHARACTERIZATION of FINITE ÉTALE MORPHISMS in TENSOR TRIANGULAR GEOMETRY Contents 1. Introduction 1 2. Strongly Separable
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A CHARACTERIZATION OF FINITE ETALE´ MORPHISMS IN TENSOR TRIANGULAR GEOMETRY BEREN SANDERS Abstract. We provide a characterization of finite ´etalemorphisms in tensor triangular geometry. They are precisely those functors which have a conser- vative right adjoint, satisfy Grothendieck{Neeman duality, and for which the relative dualizing object is trivial (via a canonically-defined map). Contents 1. Introduction1 2. Strongly separable algebras2 3. Separable algebras and triangulated categories 12 4. Finite ´etalemorphisms 13 5. Examples 15 References 20 1. Introduction The purpose of this note is to give a characterization of “finite ´etalemorphisms" in tensor triangular geometry. We follow the notation, terminology, and perspective of [BDS16]. In particular, we will work in the context of rigidly-compactly generated tensor-triangulated categories [BDS16, Def. 2.7]. The kind of characterization we have in mind is analogous to the following well-known characterization of smashing localizations: 1.1. Theorem. Smashing localizations of a rigidly-compactly generated tensor- triangulated category T are precisely those geometric functors f ∗ : T ! S between rigidly-compactly generated tensor-triangulated categories whose right adjoint f∗ is fully faithful. We will recall a proof in Remark 3.9 below. Smashing localizations include, for example, restriction to a quasi-compact open subset of the Balmer spectrum. More generally, the tensor-triangular analogue of an ´etalemorphism is extension- of-scalars with respect to a commutative separable algebra (with smashing local- izations being the special case of idempotent algebras). Finite ´etalemorphisms are, by definition, extension-of-scalars with respect to a compact commutative separa- ble algebra (see Definition 4.1). Most smashing localizations are not finite ´etale morphisms, just as most open immersions are not proper. We will prove: Date: June 30, 2021. Author is supported by NSF grant DMS-1903429. 1 2 BEREN SANDERS 1.2. Theorem. Finite ´etaleextensions of a rigidly-compactly generated tensor- triangulated category T are precisely those geometric functors f ∗ : T ! S between rigidly-compactly generated tensor-triangulated categories which satisfy the follow- ing three properties: (a) f ∗ satisfies Grothendieck{Neeman duality; (b) the right adjoint f∗ is conservative; (c) the canonical map 1S ! !f is an isomorphism. The terminology and notation will be explained in Section4. We just remark that under hypothesis (a), the algebra f∗(1S) is rigid (a.k.a. dualizable) and hence has an associated trace map. This corresponds by adjunction to a canonical map 1S ! !f from the unit to the relative dualizing object, which hypothesis (c) asserts is an isomorphism. The keys to the theorem are the robust monadicity theorems which hold for triangulated categories and a deeper understanding of strongly separable algebras. Indeed, we begin the paper in Section2 with a treatment of strongly separable algebras in arbitrary symmetric monoidal categories which may be of independent interest. We prove, in particular, that a rigid commutative algebra is separable if and only if it is strongly separable if and only if its canonically-defined trace form is nondegenerate (Corollary 2.38). We then turn in Section3 to tensor-triangulated categories and the role separable algebras play in that setting. A key tool is a strengthened version of separable monadicity (Proposition 3.8). We define finite ´etalemorphisms and prove the main theorem (Theorem 4.7) in Section4. In Sec- tion5, we illustrate the theorem by giving some examples and non-examples of finite ´etalemorphisms in equivariant homotopy theory, algebraic geometry, and derived algebra. Acknowledgements : The author readily thanks Paul Balmer, Tobias Barthel, Ivo Dell'Ambrogio, Drew Heard and Amnon Neeman. 2. Strongly separable algebras We begin with a discussion of separable algebras in an arbitrary symmetric monoidal category. Although separable algebras are well-understood at this level of generality, we would like to clarify the notion of strongly separable algebra. Our main goal is to show that the equivalent characterizations of classical strongly separable algebras over fields established by [Agu00] have suitable generalizations to arbitrary symmetric monoidal categories. The main punch-line is that a rigid commutative algebra is separable if and only if it is strongly separable if and only if its trace form is nondegenerate (see Corollary 2.38). Moreover, this is the case if and only if it has the (necessarily unique) structure of a special symmetric Frobenius algebra. 2.1. Terminology. Throughout this section we work in a fixed symmetric monoidal category (C; ⊗; 1). The symmetry isomorphism will be denoted τ : A⊗B −!∼ B ⊗A. An object A in C is rigid (a.k.a. dualizable) if there exists an object DA such that DA⊗− is right adjoint to A⊗−. An algebra A is an associative unital monoid in C. The multiplication and unit maps will be denoted µ : A ⊗ A ! A and u : 1 ! A. 2.2. Definition. An algebra (A; µ, u) is separable if there exists a map σ : A ! A⊗A such that FINITE ETALE´ MORPHISMS IN TENSOR TRIANGULAR GEOMETRY 3 (σ1) µ ◦ σ = idA, and (σ2) (1 ⊗ µ) ◦ (σ ⊗ 1) = σ ◦ µ = (µ ⊗ 1) ◦ (1 ⊗ σ) as maps A ⊗ A ! A ⊗ A . In other words, A is separable if the multiplication map µ : A ⊗ A ! A admits an (A; A)-bilinear section. 2.3. Remark. If we precompose such a section σ with the unit u : 1 ! A, we obtain a map κ := σ ◦ u : 1 ! A ⊗ A which satisfies (κ1) µ ◦ κ = u, and (κ2) (1 ⊗ µ) ◦ (κ ⊗ 1) = (µ ⊗ 1) ◦ (1 ⊗ κ) as maps A ! A ⊗ A . Conversely, given such a κ, the map A ! A ⊗ A displayed in( κ2) satisfies axioms (σ1) and( σ2). Thus, an algebra A is separable if and only if it admits a map κ : 1 ! A ⊗ A satisfying( κ1) and( κ2). Such a map κ is called a separability idempotent. 2.4. Remark. We refer the reader to [AG60], [CHR65], [KO74], [Pie82, Chapter 10], and [For17] for further information about separable algebras and their role in classi- cal representation theory and algebraic geometry. The following notion of a strongly separable algebra was originally studied by Kanzaki and Hattori [Hat65, Kan62]: 2.5. Definition. An algebra A is strongly separable if there exists a map κ : 1 ! A⊗A satisfying( κ1),( κ2) and (κ3) κ = τ ◦ κ . In other words, A is strongly separable if it admits a symmetric separability idem- potent. 2.6. Remark. For classical algebras over a field, [Agu00] provides several equivalent characterizations of strongly separable algebras. Our present goal is to clarify the extent to which these characterizations hold in an arbitrary symmetric monoidal category. For this purpose, the graphical calculus of string diagrams will be very convenient. We refer the reader to [Sel11, xx3{4] and [PS13, x2] for more informa- tion concerning these diagrams and suffice ourselves to remark that it is a routine exercise to convert a proof involving string diagrams into a detailed proof using commutative diagrams. 2.7. Notation. We'll read our string diagrams from bottom to top. The multipli- cation map µ : A ⊗ A ! A and the map κ : 1 ! A ⊗ A will be represented by µ and κ while the unit u : 1 ! A and the identity id : A ! A will be represented by u = and idA = Thus, for example, axiom( κ2) reads (2.8) = 4 BEREN SANDERS 2.9. Proposition. An algebra (A; µ, u) is strongly separable if and only if there exists a morphism κ : 1 ! A ⊗ A satisfying (κ2) and (κ4) µ ◦ τ ◦ κ = u . Proof. By definition an algebra is strongly separable if it admits a morphism κ satisfying( κ1),( κ2), and( κ3). It is immediate that( κ1) and( κ3) together im- ply( κ4). It is also immediate that( κ3) and( κ4) together imply( κ1). Thus, the claim will be established if we can prove that( κ2) and( κ4) together imply( κ3). Using Notation 2.7, observe: (2.10) = = = = (unital) (κ4) (assoc) (κ2) We can then rearrange the last diagram by pulling the left-hand multiplication to the right-hand side and continue: (2.11) = = = = (κ2) (assoc) (κ4) (unital) This establishes κ = τ ◦ κ which is axiom( κ3). 2.12. Corollary. Any commutative separable algebra is strongly separable. Proof. This follows from Proposition 2.9 since axiom( κ4) coincides with axiom( κ1) when the algebra is commutative. 2.13. Remark. For string diagrams involving a rigid object A, we'll use the direction of a string to indicate whether it represents A or its dual DA. For example, the unit 1 ! DA ⊗ A and counit A ⊗ DA ! 1 are represented by and respectively, and the unit-counit relations are given by = and = 2.14. Definition. Let A be a rigid algebra in the symmetric monoidal category C. Its trace map tr : A ! 1 is given by 1⊗η µ⊗1 (2.15) A ' A ⊗ 1 −−! A ⊗ DA ⊗ A −−!1⊗τ A ⊗ A ⊗ DA −−−! A ⊗ DA −! 1 : FINITE ETALE´ MORPHISMS IN TENSOR TRIANGULAR GEOMETRY 5 2.16. Remark. To explain this definition, recall that every endomorphism f : A ! A of the rigid object A has an associated \trace" Tr(f): 1 ! 1 given as η 1⊗f 1 −! DA ⊗ A −−−! DA ⊗ A −!τ A ⊗ DA −! 1 : Moreover, post-composition by the map (2.17) DA ⊗ A −!τ A ⊗ DA −! 1 induces a function C(A; A) ' C(1; DA ⊗ A) ! C(1; 1) which sends f to Tr(f). On the other hand, the multiplication map µ : A ⊗ A ! A corresponds by adjunction to a morphism A ! DA ⊗ A given by η⊗1 1⊗µ (2.18) A ' 1 ⊗ A −−! DA ⊗ A ⊗ A −−!1⊗τ DA ⊗ A ⊗ A −−−! DA ⊗ A: Post-composition by this map provides a function C(1;A) ! C(1; DA ⊗ A) ' C(A; A) which sends a morphism a : 1 ! A to \left multiplication by a": 1⊗a τ µ La : A ' A ⊗ 1 −−! A ⊗ A −! A ⊗ A −! A: The map (2.15) defining the trace map tr : A ! 1 is readily checked to equal the composite of (2.18) and (2.17).